


Thin Walls [Mako x Mermaid!Fem!Reader]

by BabyPandu



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Captured, Civilian AU, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Female Reader, Hurt/Comfort, POV Female Character, Reader-Insert, mermaid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-10-18 03:29:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10608366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyPandu/pseuds/BabyPandu
Summary: Captured and taken immediately to the nearest aquarium you don't know what to do. Taken away from everything you ever knew, alone and afraid.





	1. New Friend

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Other Side Of The Glass](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10590090) by [NaughtyBees](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaughtyBees/pseuds/NaughtyBees). 



> Naughtybees why do you do this to me... reeeeeeee!

The water was always an inconstant temperature. Either a bit too warm or way too cold. There was never an in between or happy medium. Your head rang and hurt, the constant high pitched echo through your small chamber as the children punched and tapped the other side of the glass. There were little places you could hide. Your enclosure was small, but big enough for you to move around. There was a fake cave area made from rough metal covered in decorative water proof pain that served as your own hide away. 

It had two entrances, which was nice. The cave was narrow, barley big enough for you to swim in and out of. In one way out the other. But you rarely left, each time you did there would be a barrage of loud screams and voices from the other side of the glass. Flashes of cameras would blind and disorient you, the echos the children caused against the glass would come in swarms. You were trapped in what you thought was hell at this point. No escape and only pain. 

At least you were well fed... well for the most part. They only fed you during the day, the already dead fish fell to the floor of your tank. The fish were so old the oil of their swim bladders no longer kept them afloat. It was gross to eat, like almost rotting flesh. You longed to swim far and fast, able to catch your own food. But that would never happen. You could only deal with what you were given, waiting until night to go eat the almost rotting fish and stretch your sore muscles. 

Today you weren't hungry though, yesterdays fish giving you a particularly bad stomach ache that made you unwilling to move and eat more. It was late at this point, the moon shining over the top of your enclosure. Your tank had two places to look at. There was very top you could swim, open air. Visitors weren't allowed up there, it was only for the workers to come give you food and tend to you. Then there was the area that did allow people to come gawk at you. It was a glass cylinder, every where visible from the outside except where the small cave blocked. 

You were about to fall asleep, hoping to rest off your hurting gut when you heard a particularly strange sound. It was squeaky and foreign. You had never heard such a sound before, this continued for a while. Stopping only for a few moments before continuing, followed by what sounded by a soft grumble. Curiosity soon over ruled your need to rest, carefully you move yourself, flexing your tail softly back and fourth to move yourself around the bend of the cave. 

Coming the the exit you took a moment before peeking out. Your eyes took a minute to adjust to the bright lights that were still on outside the aquarium. When you could finally see the noise stopped abruptly, the source being a human outside the glass. He was a big guy... and you mean big. If you had to guess probably around 7 feet tall, maybe more! He was also a big guy in the sense that he looked pretty heavy, his uniform barley holding in a bulbous gut. His hair was whiting at the roots, from age or stress you couldn't really tell. He didn't look that much older than you. His face was pudgy but still defined.

Your eyes locked, he had seen you coming out of your small hiding spot. You watch him curiously as he seemed to do the same. Finally, gather the little strength and bravery you had you kicked your fin lightly. Swimming out and over to the glass. He seemed just as surprised as you were by your movement out of safety. His eyes locked on yours. 

__________________________________ 

Mako's POV 

I had hesitations at first on weather the alleged real life mermaid was real or not. Only a few people had ever seen her out of her hiding spot in the rocks. I wondered how small this mermaid had to be to fit into those rocks. It look nearly child sized, but the info panels said that it was nearly 24 years old. A picture of the mermaid was next to the info on her. She had (H/C) hair, that draped down to her back, floating loosely in the water around her. 

They had fit her with a little mermaid style sea-shell bra, she had been found naked from her top up. Her (E/C) eyes were hard to make out from the picture because it got blurry but they looked pretty. The most stunningly beautiful thing though was her tail. In the photo it was a light pinkish color, dimming down to a white tipped tail and fins on the side. The tail looking like a stereo typical mermaid tail, long and slender with bright shiny scales. 

I had been working here for nearly a week and I was surprised how filthy they left the glass on her tank. It was large yes, but every inch of it seemed covered in grime. Most of the bottom half sticky from where little children would leave there hands. If the mermaid was in there I couldn't help but feel bad, every day having little kids and people pounding at the glass. I grumbled softly to myself about how shit people raised their kids now days.

I stopped, noticing moment in the tank I looked up. There she was. Her face lightly peeking out the darkness of the small cave, the gills on her neck twitched when she spotted me. It like we had been there forever, staring at one another clueless on what to do. But then she moved, swimming towards me, stopping a few feet from the glass. She was even more beautiful up close. The picture didn't do her justice. 

Her eyes twinkled a light (E/C), her tale shimmered in the light offered from the move above her enclosure. Her hands were webbed, gill slits lined the sides of her neck. Her cheeks, shoulders, forearms and backs of her hands had light patches of small scales. Her ears looked semi human, but tipped off three ways, webbed in between the three tips. 

Everything was still again, the only movement was the small kicks of her tail and movements from her arms to help keep her in place. I hadn't even noticed when she move closer to the glass until one of her hands began to reach out towards me slowly. Her fingers pushed softly against the glass, her hand was so small. Little claws poked out of the tips of her fingers, lightly scratching the inside of the glass. Feeling the sudden urge to, I raise the mirroring hand and press it against the thick glass. 

________________________________________ 

Your POV 

You were amazed by the sheer size of his hand, your hand could fit in the palm of his with room to spare. You felt so small with him, but you loved it. The glass was thick to keep you and the water in, but you could swear you felt heat through the glass. You tore your eyes away from his hand to look him in the eyes again. They were so dark they were practically black, it reminded you of the cold eyes of a shark. But unlike a shark, these eyes had emotion. You saw him looking at you and could feel his emotions wash over you. He felt pity and sadness for you. Your heart fluttered softly in your chest. 

"My name is Mako." You heard him vaguely through the glass. It was garbled, very muffled and hard to make out but you still heard it. You couldn't miss it, the same deep grumble from before now magnified into words. "Can you understand me?"

I nodded softly."Yeah, I can understand you. My name is (Y/N)."

_____________________________________________________  
Mako's POV

I watched her mouth move but I couldn't hear anything. The water must have been muffling whatever she said... When I didn't respond her face morphed into something of distaste and upset. She tried to talk again, but again I didn't hear anything.

I pointed to my ears with a sullen face, I bet her voice sounded beautiful. "I can't hear you."

She looked saddened by this, pressing both of her hands against the glass. She looked so alone and heart broken on her lack to communicate with me. I laid my hand back onto the glass, she rested her forehead against the other side. Eyes filled with sullen loneliness looked back at me. How long had she been kept in there, she was small but so was the tank. The best she could really do was swim in circles. 

I took my hand away, while she was interesting. I still had a job to do, and I think she would rather have clean glass. I took the rag and continued to scrub away the months of grime that had built up. I heard a soft tap, looking up to see her watching me, wide eyed and curious. I can't help but smile softly and continue. 

"Don't worry, just cleaning up." I say, rubbing the cloth against the glass. 

From the corner of my eye I saw her nod and swim off. I looked up at this, worried she was going to go back to her hiding spot. But no, she was only swimming around. It was soothing to say the least, watching a mermaid glide through the water. Her hair flowing back behind her as she lightly kicked her tail. She swam in circles for a bit, probably stretching after being cooped up in her little cave all day.

I tapped the glass softly, her head perked up looking over at me. Quickly she swam her way over to me again, her soft (E/C) watching me as she tilted her head curiously. It was amazing to watch her body move the way it did, her tail moved much like a dolphin, up and down. Did that make her a mammal as well? Could she breath at all out of water?

"I'm done cleaning for today..." I start to explain and she already looks sad. Her webbed ears pinning against her head and her hands press against the glass. "Let me finish. I was gonna say... I don't mind staying for a bit longer if you want."


	2. Face to Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm no good at writing summaries. But heeeeey, look whos getting back into the groove! Which one next? I'm kinda feeling the Trying to Be. I need some tines right about now in my life. Feel like writing smut too. am I garbage? Maybe? near the end was I wanting to write smut here? Maybe also. what do you guys think? Smut or no smut?

Your eyes drifted lazily open and closed, tired from not much sleep the night before. Mako had done what he said he would, after finishing cleaning up the sticky stuff on the other side of the glass he stayed by you. All night you swam around and he would watch. It was peacful.

There hadn't been much conversation, soon learning that your new friend wasn't much for talking, and for the most part neither were you. But there had been so much you wanted to say to him. It didn't matter too much, you still had a nice night with him. You were sad when he got up to go home. A pit opened in your chest, giving you feelings you'd never felt before. He promised to come back, but with everything that had happened to you, you weren't sure you could trust him. Though you very much wanted to. 

Sleep eluded you last night, taunting you with the sweet escape of a dream. It was the only way you could return to the ocean, the wide open waters. All the fresh fish you could chase and not to mention no tapping glass. You decided against your best interest to swim around today, show off for the people that came just to see you. On some level you were flattered by it, and wouldn't mind swimming about more if you were going to be a prisoner here. But every time you did it ended up as it always did.

A throbbing migraine and children pounding on the glass. Each hit, each scream and laugh, echoed through the water. Bouncing off every wall on you again and again. You groaned, swimming up towards the surface to get out of sight of the people bellow. You didn't dare break the water. The care takers didn't like it when you moved out of the water, poking you back in with a stick. You suppose they were just worried about you trying to escape. That didn't really make much sense though. You were helpless out of the water, and its not like you could flop your way to the ocean. 

You had stayed out of sight long enough for most of the noise bellow to die down. Everything was peaceful, other than the few taps and talking groups bellow. Through the commotion, your sensitive ears picked up a faint sound. That of a squeaky wheel. very fain, very quiet. But there. Curious you swam down enough to look upside down at the world bellow. Your eyes scanning over every person, not taking long before they spotted who they wanted. 

Pushing a yellow wheeled mop bucked was him. Mako. 

A smile spread your face as you swam down. He had already been looking at your tank before you revealed yourself again. A smile covering his own thick lips when he saw you. But the joy was short lived. As soon as you showed yourself, a particularly large crowd of children began to shriek in thrilled shrill voices. Probably a class on a field trip, that was the only thing you could assume when roughly 30 children enclosed around your cylinder tank. Tiny fists pounded the glass, 30 young voices screaming and begging for you to swim closer. 

You felt faint. Starving, tired, and now a migraine enough to make you pass out on its own. You gripped your throbbing scull, shaking your head to try and get all the pain to go away. 

"Hey!" You heard a particularly angry and familiar deep voice. "Stop that!"

The children quieted down, the banging soon coming to a halt as well. 

"Can't you see it's hurting her?" His gruff voice grumbled to the children one fifth his height.

You watched as the children all followed one of the teachers to the next exhibit. The other teacher started to yell at Mako, your exhausted eyes watching the ordeal. Mako looked angry, glaring down at the smaller man. They spoke for a few minutes before the teacher grumbled off. 

You watched your large friend pull out a cloth and wipe his brow, before averting his gaze to you. "Sorry about that." He grumbled.

You tilt your head, wanting to know what happened. Mouthing the words thank you best you could, wanting him to know you were ever grateful for him stopping the noise. 

He gave a nod to your thank, stuffing the cloth back to his pocket.

"Teacher was giving me an earful. Something about me not having the right to tell the brats to stop. I told 'em I had ever right to care for the exhibit." Mako explained, pulling his cart over. Just like the night before he started to clean up what the toddlers did to the glass. You heave a sigh, other than a few people outside of your tank, you and Mako were alone. You longed to speak with him, sullen eyes watch him work as you press your small hand against the cold glass.

It took him a moment, looking up he smiled to see your hand needily pressed against the glass. Mimicing you he pressed his much larger hand against the other side of your enclosure. Faintly letting you feel the heat his body gave off. There had to be a way you could see him, he was the janitor here. Maybe he could get into the top of the tank, where the cartakers normally fed you. You look to him with serious (E/C) eyes, before looking up towards the blue sky and pointing. 

He looked confused for a moment, leaning forward to try and see where you were pointing. You point to him, before pointing up again, trying your hardest to convey what you wanted from him. His eyes lit up with understanding and gave a nod. 

"I'll see what I can do tonight. Alright?" The mumbled question came.

A smile lead to a frantic nod, hoping he could find a way to get to you. In your time here at the aquarium you felt yourself getting exceedingly lonely. You had close to no mer friends back in the ocean, but even then you had the occasional interaction within a few days or weeks. But here it had taken you two month before you met Mako. It was almost enough to drive you mad. 

After cleaning up a few more things Mako left. Not without promising you to at least come back here to night, not meaning that he would defiantly be able to come see you up top, but if he couldn't he would at least spend another night with you here.

You were left alone again, not wanting to take any chances with more noises and bombarding children. You took solitude in your little cave. Squeezed tight inside the fake rock while day went on outside. In time it was tight for you to leave your cramp situation. Carefully you kick and wriggle you way back out. The light from the sky above dim, letting you the moon was high up. Guessing it was around ten at night you had to assume you would be seeing Mako sometime soon. 

After a few more minutes you heard a faint familiar sound of a metal door above. Your ears pinned back as you hesitantly began to swim up. Suddenly far more nervous than before, he was huge when you saw him on the other side of the glass. That and you'd never seen a human actually be nice to you. That's when you saw his figure leaning over the pool above. 

Slowly you broke through the water, your hair clinging to you as you gawked at the giant of a man before you. Whatever you saw through the glass did not do this man justice. He was so immensely tall, you had to guess around 7 feet or more. Your hands clung to the edge of the pool, him kneeling in front of you just made you hide in his tremendous shadow.

"H...Hi Mako."  
______________________________________________________

Mako's POV

It had taken a lot of...charisma to get the key to her tank. One of my buddies was able to get me it in exchange for a few favors. He wasn't to specific on what he wanted, that part making me worried. But being able to meet this mermaid face to face was going to be worth whatever he wanted.

I waited until everyone else left and it was only me alone before going to see her.

I tried to be quiet when opened the large metal door on the ground floor of the building. Most of the aquarium was underground so people could care for the animals up top. Her tank was no exception. When I opened the door to the large outside room I saw how little space she actually had. They had a small fridge where they stored the fish for her. The space was so small that if I misstep I would probably fall into the small tank. There was about an inch of space where the water stopped before the lip of the tank came, keeping the surrounding area dry. 

Not even a minute later I saw her figure move about in the water, I saw her emerge. Her (H/C) long hair clung to her skin as she looked up at me with vivid (E/C) eyes. I knelt down to see her better, noticing how small she really was when my shadow enveloped her. When she spoke I almost didn't notice, she was so quiet. She sounded scared.

"H...Hi Mako." 

"Hi." I said, softer than I normally would. Afraid my voice, being as deep as it was would scare her away. 

We were both quiet for a while. Still, kneeling and watching her carfully. Her small webbed hands clinging to the edge of the concreate. 

"Can you live out of the water?" 

She nodded."Not for a long time but I can." 

"would you like to sit with me up here?" I offered. 

A smile soon spread the young mers face, following with a nod. I watched her struggle to push herself up out of the water, in doing so I noticed how unbelievably frail she looked. Through the water you can hardly notice, but up close you could see some of her ribs. Her arms shook when she tried to pull herself out. 

"Need some help?" 

It looked like she was going to refuse my help but sighed, raising her arms up much like a child wanting to be held. Carefully I moved, trying not to fall in as I leaned over the ledge and dipped both my hands into the surprisingly cold water. Gently lifting her up under her arms. 

I honestly expected her to be a bit heavier, thinking her tail was mostly muscle. But she was so light, I almost pulled her out of the water too quickly. Moving her slowly I sat her down next to the edge, her fin still in the water some as she sat down next to me. 

When I saw I moved a bit away from the water, not wanting to put my feet or legs in because of the fact I was still dressed in dirty cloths and shoes from work. It was strange to be seated next to a mermaid. 

Maybe it was just the fact I was almost literally double her size. When I looked down to her she seemed so small. Her tail lightly kicking in the water while she looked up at me. Her skin was so pale and smooth, her body skinny and streamline, perfect for swimming around. Her long hair, soaking wet still clung to her tight little body. I couldn't help but think she was the most beautiful girl I had ever laid my eyes on.


End file.
